1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for making up the lips or for the care of a user""s lips, more particularly for a simultaneous treatment of both lips.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, such a treatment of the lips is performed either by means of a stick of solid and friable lip rouge which the user spreads over her lips, or by means of a brush-type applicator when the make-up composition is a fluid. In both these cases it is necessary to apply the product with care, using a mirror, in order to obtain a careful and precise make up. It is, moreover, necessary to renew this make up several times per day, since the hold of the product on the lips is limited in the course of time, particularly after a meal.
The operation of treating the lips by means of a stick or brush of lip rouge is delicate, in particular when the user wishes to renew her make up during the day, for example in the office or during transit in a car or subway, or when a care product has to be applied to the lips, for example during winter sports or at the beach.
To avoid the above mentioned drawbacks, it is an object of the invention to provide a convenient make-up device allowing the lips to be made up without the need for a mirror.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a make-up device which allows the user to make up one or preferably both lips simultaneously in a short time and in a precise manner.
It is yet a further object of the invention to provide a make-up device which is advantageous from an economic standpoint since it does not have a complicated mechanism and does not require costly assembly, and so can be offered to the user at a low price.
The above and other objects are achieved according to the invention by a device for the make up or care treatment of the user""s lips, comprising a support, at least a portion of which can be impregnated by a pulverulent or liquid-to-pasty product. In accordance with the invention, the support has a flattened shape and can have one application surface (and preferably two opposed, substantially parallel application surfaces) capable of coming into contact with one (or both) of the user""s lips, the portion impregnated with the product being capable of being elastically deformed by compression of the surfaces by the lips, and of assuming their shape, so that a transfer of the product to the lips is effected during the compression of the support between the user""s lips.
The term xe2x80x9cpulverulent or pasty productxe2x80x9d for lip care means any composition for treating the lips, in particular a make-up product which customarily has color pigments and a binder. Generally, this binder promotes the adhesion potential of the pigments to the lips and ensures the hold of the make-up in the course of time. When these pigments are mixed with a small quantity of the binder, a freely running make-up product is obtained. When a substantial quantity of the binder is mixed with the pigment, one obtains, depending on the nature of the binder, a product of a pasty, creamy or liquid consistency. The preferred product is a paste of lip rouge. However, the invention also encompasses the use of colorless care products for the lips such as protective products usable in the mountains during winter sports, for example a protective cream against ultraviolet radiation known as lip salve.
The product may be directly disposed on the support so as to constitute a single dose disposable make-up device and thus serve as a demonstration sample in beauty salons. In this case, the support charged with the product is advantageously protected by an appropriate protective cover. However, according to a preferred embodiment, the device of the invention is a multi-use device comprising a product reservoir into which the support dips in its rest position.
To facilitate the making up, the support may be mounted on a rigid element serving as a gripping handle. The fixing of the support on the rigid element may be effected by bonding, welding or by wedging of the support.
Generally, the support has a flattened shape with a thickness of approximately 0.4 cm to 2 cm and a width of approximately 4 cm to 8 cm. The general profile of the support may have a straight, concave, convex or any other shape allowing it to be tightly gripped between the lips to obtain a precise, aesthetic make-up without application to the adjoining portions of the face.
According to a first variant, the support has a slab made of an elastically compressible foam with open or closed cells.
According to another variant, the support is a hollow part made, for example, of a flexible elastomeric material.
In these two cases, the two surfaces of the support may be covered by a non-woven material promoting the taking up of the product.
Advantageously, the two surfaces of the support are covered by a flocking made, for example, of fine fibers of rayon(copyright), cotton, nylon or polyester.
When the support is associated with a product reservoir, this reservoir is formed by a case having an opening for the insertion of the support, the support being in permanent contact with the product when it is inserted in the case.
To ensure a good spread of the product on the support, and to avoid any excess of the product, the case may have at least one wiper or compression lip capable of wiping the product or compacting it on the surfaces of the support as the support is being extracted from the case. This wiper or compacting lip may be made of a sponge or a foam.
According to a particular embodiment of the invention, the support may take the form of a flat flexible disk. In this case, the disk is mounted for rotation in the case, a portion of the support emerging from the case through an appropriate opening and serving to make up the lips, while a second portion of the support is in contact with the product contained in the case. Means may be provided for actuating the disk, allowing the disk to turn without bringing the user""s fingers into contact with the product. By effecting a half-turn rotation of the disk, the portion of the disk which was previously in contact with the product in the reservoir emerges from the case and can serve for making up the lips. With this arrangement, one can ensure that the support is continuously impregnated with the product.
According to this embodiment, when the product is liquid, the edges of the opening of the case may have at least one wiper lip capable of wiping the product on the surfaces of the support during the rotation of the support. When the product is pulverulent, this lip may be a compacting lip allowing the powder to settle on the support.
When a make-up device has a reservoir, the support may generally be in direct contact with the product. However, especially when relatively liquid compositions are used, it may be advantageous to place into the reservoir at least one spongy element saturated with the product, this element being capable of coming into contact with the support. Permanent contact may be insured by adjusting the placement of the spongy element so that it touches the support. However it is possible to establish the contact between the support and the spongy element on a temporary basis. In this case, the case has at least one flexible side, deformable towards the inside of the case, the spongy element being fixed on the inner face of this flexible side. Deformation of the side of the case then produces the displacement of the spongy element and causes it to come into contact with the support, and thus the impregnation of the support by the product.